Fate Who
by LunaChi KuroShihone
Summary: Finishing his latest assigment, Shirou stumbles upon a strange man calling himself 'the Doctor'. When he offers the young Magus a chance to travel into different skies, Shirou sees his chance to reunite with a certain King of Knights. One-Shots set in the same Universe Also, the TARDIS is most pleased.
1. Chapter 1

Fate / WHO

Shirou sighed. He didn't know how he managed to land in this situation. He might've faced off Dead Apostles, Servants, the Clock Tower and Rin Tohsaka at her worst – hell, he fought heroes of old like Gilgamesh, Heracles and Cu Chulainn – but this was new, even for him.

He stared at the blue box. A simple thing, really. Completely ordinary, it looked like the average police call box in Britain, only repainted blue.

"So… do you like it?"

The person next to him gave off a proud smile. Shirou sighed again. By the Root, this shouldn't be possible! And still, here it was. Taking a deep breath to compose himself, Shirou answered: "It's bigger on the inside."

"Exactly! Molto Bene!"

If he'd report this to the Association, they'd be on a killing spree.

"Then this… is your spaceship?"

Spaceship. Time machine, whatever. No matter how the young Magi looks at it, it's utterly impossible.

"Bingo! This is the TARDIS. It stands for 'Time and Relative Dimension in Space' and is a Time Machine." as an afterthought, the man added, "She's stuck like this though, chameleon circuit broke. It's a shame, but it has its own charm, no?"

Nodding absentmindedly, Shirou looked at the man – now in front of him. He wore a brown trench coat over a blue suit with _sneakers_. Odd combination, for sure. Other than that, he was average – brown eyes, hair – the thing that struck out were his eyes; they looked way too old on such a young face – like himself, Shirou mused. He met this strange man, this _Doctor,_ on his latest assigned mission by the Church. Some kind of mystic code or magically enhanced statues were terrorizing a small town north of Cardiff. Since it seemed irrelevant enough that the Magi's Association would not send out anyone, Shirou asked if he could look into it. Working into both sides' favour, the Church gave him the official get-go.

Landing in Cardiff and deciding to go from there, Shirou met this strange fellow, who introduced himself simply as 'the Doctor'. Offering him a ride to the town, Shirou didn't think it could get any stranger.

Then they arrived. And it was when Shirou tried to slice the granite statue of the angel that he realized that this 'Doctor' fellow was much more knowledgeable than your average human. Or magus.

His first words to him upon entering the town and coming face to face with the statue?

 _Don't blink. Blink and you're dead. Don't turn your back. Don't look away. And don't blink._

After that, they hid in some form of WWII bunker, where the Doctor started rambling about the happenings. _I only followed the trace left by the highly-condensed atomary mass of the Weeping Angels, I swear I didn't intend to do this!_

Suffice to say, that had been a strange day.

After Shirou had asked him if he were a mage, the Doctor looked at him as if he were insane _. Magic?! So I've landed in a parallel universe where people have learned to use magic? That's brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! You humans never cease to amaze me; magic! I never knew it existed – well, at least not in my dimension, you know? Technology, advanced human bio-engineering, alright. But magic? Impossible! Ridiculous – and yet you used it against the Weeping Angel, destroying it! Bravo! Molto Bene!_

And while they were coming up with a plan to stop these Weeping Angels, Shirou learned his fair share of interesting information. The Doctor apparently landed in this Dimension, without the utilization of the Second Magic. And the best part was: _Without really wanting to._

Then, the strangest chase sequence started for Shirou and the Doctor as they combined magecraft and alien technology to stop the angels. Shirou quickly found himself face-to-face with the revelation that there were far more dangerous threats than Dead Apostles. And that this 'Doctor' may also be one of them. When the town was saved, Shirou found himself in the unlikely position to follow up on the offer of the Doctor.

 _Become my companion_.

It was really a wonderful offer – this man was practically a superhero – but something held him back, still. It still does.

Shirou saw the inside of the TARDIS, he saw the Weeping Angels, the Sonic Screwdriver – he even 'saw' the two hearts of the Doctor.

It was a daring offer, saving the Universe. But if he'd go… he'd leave everyone behind: Taiga, Sakura, Tohsaka, Ilya…

The Doctor was still looking at him with a friendly expression. "I can't, Doctor. Come with you, I mean." shrugging his shoulders, Shirou continued, "I've got responsibilities, friends – a _promise_."

"Ah, but you don't understand, Shirou," he was still grinning, "this is the TARDIS. We can go back to Rome, have a chat with Cicero, and be back for tea. The Universe is big – planets, galaxies to explore; meeting new races, like the Stygorax, Homo Reptilia, Zygons and more!"

And as the Doctor spoke of a greater miracle than the other, Shirou realized something in the man that he took notice of in Archer's behavior, all those years back (and probably his own): guilt. The Doctor tried desperately to overcome some kind of guilt, so he saved all of those places. That was probably also the reason why he wanted a companion so badly – as some kind of anchor, like Rin had been to Archer, ultimately. The Doctor needed saving.

And Emiya Shirou was a person who saved. Smiling ironically, he interrupted the other man's rambling: "Alright, I'll come with you."

"Really?! Molto bene! Then come on; the universe is waiting, Shirou Emiya!"

Grabbing Shirou's hand and practically dragging him inside the TARDIS, the Doctor began running around the console, pulling and lowering various …things. Watching all of this with an amused smile, the young magus leaned against the railing. "Why are you running around so much?"

"She needs to be operated by a whole crew of Time Lords." the Doctor spoke so absentmindedly, pulling the last of the levers, which was the handbrake. The tube in the middle started moving, and with a satisfied nod, the Time Lord turned around to Shirou, mimicking his position and crossing his arms. "So, Shirou. The whole Universe is at your hands – where to?"

"Huh? You're letting me decide?" Shirou was baffled. "Shouldn't you be the one to decide, being the Time Lord and all?"

"Oh, no no no no no! This will be a first for us, you see? Since I come from a magic-less Dimension, SO I don't know what's the same and what's changed! And as my first Companion in this dimension, you get the privilege to choose!"

The Doctor was smiling again, and it was infectious. "I don't really know; give me some examples, I'll look which one sounds the best."

"Well," and here, he took out a pair of glasses and put them on, Tohsaka Rin-Style, "We could visit the Hanging Gardens of Babylon – I've always wanted to see them."

"NO!" Shirou cringed at his own outburst, startling the Doctor. "I mean… no; nothing that has to do with Babylon, please."

 _I don't want to see anything that has to do with that golden Archer._

"Well, alright… I guess this is a magi thing… then how about we visit Atlantis? I've been there – well, my Atlantis, anyways – and it's a great place to start an adventure. Or how about – oh, OH. Brilliant! This idea is simply brilliant!" his eyes lit up, and he leaned forward, clasping Shirou by the shoulders. "How about 6th Century Britain! I would've put it up as legends back there, but now…"

"Uhm… what do you mean?" Shirou looked befuddled. Why was that so familiar sounding?

"Merlin! The greatest wizard – or magi – of all time! Don't you want to meet him, Shirou?! This will be brilliant!"

Shirou froze. Of course, how could he forget? This was the century of _her_ reign. Of his Saber's. He distinctively noticed the mumbling of the Doctor: _-lot Castle, King Arthur and the Roundtable, the Queen and Lancelot's love affair_ …

"537."

Looking up from his ramblings, the Doctor muttered a 'Huh?'. But Shirou made up his mind. If there was one way of saving her, then it would be this. "The Battle at Camlann, 537. The last stand of King Arthur against Mordred, his son."

Shirou's gaze was piercing into the Doctor's. "Can you get us there?"

He blinked. "Of course. But why this particular date…?"

Shirou shrugged. The Doctor was already turning levers and other applications on the console, and with a last pull, he shouted, "Allons-y!" and the TARDIS vanished from Cardiff –

\- to reappear at the Hill of Camlann. The blue doors opened, and Shirou and the Doctor stepped out. Both had a sad look on them as they looked at the destruction wrought by the battle.

"So much death…" _I'm sorry. So, so sorry._

"Yeah…"

"I normally come along to avoid such things – but this, this is a fix point in time; unavoidable."

Shirou already wasn't listening anymore, following down the bloodied path from memory. Oh _, how much blood she must have lost_ …

"Shirou… wait! Where are you going? Normally I'm the one who should be running, not you!" the Doctor quickly caught up with the young magus. Noticing his tense shoulders, he refrained from another witty comment, opting to follow the serious looking teen.

After almost an hour of running, they arrived at a clearing. The sound of hoofs could be heard, and Shirou pulled behind a tree. The doctor followed suit, still wondering at the antics, since he didn't hear anything. Then –

"That was Sir Bedivere of the Roundtable." the Doctor looked amazed after the knight, who seemed to be crying while he was riding away from somewhere to their south. The horse's ear twitched slightly and Bedivere stopped in the middle of the clearing, turning around, exclaiming "Who is there?!" When neither Doctor nor Shirou moved, the knight resumed his former activity of riding away. When he was out of (Shirou's) earshot, the archer made haste for the direction from which he came.

The Doctor finished his calculations, "Then you want to see King Arthur? Paying him his final good bye?" Shirou muttered, "Something like that," while rounding the corner to another clearing. The Doctor – who wasn't as fast – saw his hands clench. Shirou turned into an inhumanely fast sprint, and the Doctor had to strain himself to follow his new, strange companion.

There she was. Laying with a peaceful expression, almost as if she were asleep, King Arthur, Saber – his Saber. Shirou felt his heart tug at him painfully. He sincerely hoped they weren't too late. Taking the last steps almost fearfully, he knelt down besides her, paying no heed to the Doctor as he entered her clearing. Tentatively, slowly, he outstretched his hand and placed it quivering on her cheek. He trailed it down, carefully, to her chest – still covered in the same armor she had worn as a Servant. That didn't matter. He could strengthen his senses enough that he would be able to feel whatever traces of life she still had. Oh, how he hoped he wasn't too late…

The Doctor for his part looked surprised first – who knew King Arthur was a girl? Then sad and then alarmed at Shirou's behavior. He wanted to tell the magus to stop; but something inside him – maybe the part that knew this expression? – told him to halt. So he waited. He waited for what felt like hours, even though it was only minutes. When Shirou exclaimed, relieved "She's still alive! Thank the root!" and fell sobbing – _crying_ – onto her chest, the Time Lord knew something had to be done.

"Shirou; there are some things that are irreversible points in time…" _King Arthur's death is one of them_ , the Doctor wanted to say, but didn't. _I'm sorry_. Instead he knelt next to Shirou, scanning Saber with the Sonic Screwdriver. "You're right; she's still alive… but…"

"Do you know…," Shirou began, tears still streaming down his face, "… what they say about King Arthur?" He glared at the Doctor, who stopped his scan. "They say 'King Arthur does not understand human emotions'. 'The King is no human.'" There was a pause, while Shirou knelt down and gently placed his arms under Saber, "From the moment she drew Caliburn – " He stood up, carefully, " – her fate was sealed; she was told that to be the King Britain needs, she has to abandon all her emotions, to become it's perfect King." the Doctor was still kneeling, looking up with a shocked face, "she had to abandon her name, her gender – her childhood; for there was not one moment she didn't work to become the perfect, flawless King – any semblance of a normal human life was taken from her. She was not allowed to fall in love –" his voice hiccupped, " – so tell me, Doctor: does such a selfless person not deserve a second chance at life?!"

There was silence. For all his travels, not even the Doctor had heard of such a life. He didn't believe – no, actually he did. Humans were often the most gruesome creatures.

What was there against granting this human, this little girl, a second chance? The Doctor was no fool; Shirou spoke with such a passion that it would be hard to ignore the feelings he held for her. And all it would take was getting her into the TARDIS for treatment… but still.

His feelings, his very human conscience, were at war with his duty as a Time Lord.

"Doctor… please…" golden eyes locked with brown ones, and the Doctor made a decision: "Tell me, Shirou… what is she to you? King Arthur, who lives so many centuries apart that you shouldn't even know her?" he was also standing up, being almost eye-level now, without breaking contact.

"My sword and my sheath, just as I am hers." Which was true; they were a paradoxical existence – both were swords. Always fighting, never tiring. But a sword needs a sheath; and like Saber had told him once, so long ago, he was hers. And she was his.

The Doctor seemed happy with this answer. "Well then – Allons-y! We have to get her to the TARDIS; I have a medical station there!" Shirou stood shocked for another second, before he smiled and both started running. He moved Saber into a more comfortable position, her head now resting against his chest. "That won't be needed – I just need a room with a big space. And chalk."

"Oh? And why's that? Some kind of healing magic ritual?" They were running straight trough the tree-lines, both faster than a normal human.

"Not really. I told you, I am her sheath." the Doctor wondered why he would bring up the metaphor again, when… "You meant it literally. You are her sheath – which means… oh brilliant, _brilliant_! You're brilliant!"

Shirou had to smirk at that.

"Avalon, the sheath that grants King Arthur immortality – but how do you have it? It was lost, according to legends."

"There is a …ritual, you could say." Shirou would tell the Doctor the story; if not the whole – he felt that he could trust this man. "My father acquired the sheath as a summoning catalyst – but the ritual went wrong, and half of my hometown was destroyed." Adjusting Saber again, Shirou continued, "I was the sole survivor of the Great Fuyuki Fire. My father saved me by implanting Avalon inside me, healing my wounds. It's probably the only weapon I know so throughout like myself."

The Doctor was listening, fascinated. "You saw my ability as a magus – swords. I can project almost every sword I've laid my eyes upon. They're not copies, it's more complicated than that – tracing, I call it – but that aside. I could've probably projected the real Avalon, but –"

"— having something existing twice in a timeline would cause a paradox; one reality would overwrite the other. "

"Exactly."

"And that's why we have to hurry inside the TARDIS – she nullifies the effect. You're smarter than I thought. That's brilliant, Shirou." after a short second of thought, the Doctor asked, "But why the chalk? I've seen you 'trace' as you put it, but you did it without chalk."

"I want to draw a magic circle – well, easy put. It's actually more like a bounded field. It's for the stabilization of the projecting, since it also draws in prana – magical energy. I want to make sure that there is absolutely no mistake."

After that, the conversation fell silent, both magus and Time Lord concentrating on the running. When the TARDIS finally was visible between the trees, it was already dark. The Doctor opened the doors, and both rushed inside. Running by the console, he pushed some buttons and what-not's, and the TARDIS begun dematerializing, taking aim for an unknown location. Not wasting time, he hurried into the corridor, shouting "Hurry!" Shirou pumped some more prana into his legs and went after him.

They rounded a few rooms and what was apparently a swimming pool, until the Doctor opened the door to his left, muttering 'thank you, girl'. "Is this room good?"

Shirou nodded. "Yeah." he put Saber gently down on the floor, wondering why a time machine had a room that looked eerie like a chapel. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Shirou accepted the chalk handed to him, and begun drawing the magic circle. The Doctor watched with interest as Shirou finished the circle and put Saber into it. He had to smile, even thought the situation really wasn't smile-worthy, at the care Shirou put to day with everything he did for the female King of Knights.

Shirou meanwhile was mentally preparing himself – now, out of all the times, he wasn't allowed to make a mistake, after all. Taking a deep breath, he went through all of the steps slowly.

Judging the concept of creation _– Avalon, the Everdistant Utopia_

Hypothesizing the basic structure _– created by the Fairies, one of the greatest Noble Phantasms_

Duplicating the composition material – _a Phantasm he knew as well as himself_

Imitating the skill of its making _– Emiya Shirou would not allow any flaws_

Sympathizing with the experience of its growth – _a Phantasm which belongs to his Saber_

Reproducing the accumulated years – _a Phantasm he carried within himself for ten years_

Excelling every manufacturing process – _a representation of their dream_

Feeling the familiar surge of energy he always did whenever (as seldom as it is) he traced Avalon, the golden sheath materialized in his hands. Shirou heard the Doctor gasp at the Noble Phantasm, and had to smile sadly. He didn't know when she did – but Saber returned Avalon to him, shortly before she vanished on that hill. With it, he had saved Ilya's life, allowing her to live a normal, human lifespan. He noticed – _felt_ – the sheath hum as it neared Saber's chest; and with a swirl of light, it burst into particles and returned to its original owner.

The magic circle flared up violently. There was a gust of wind as it absorbed every ounce of mana in the air, helping Avalon in the healing process. The Doctor looked shocked, shouting over the wind, "What's happening?"

Shirou took a few steps back, still guarding against the wind. "Avalon and the circle are absorbing residue mana, for the healing procedure."

After the wind died down, and the circle returned to a soft glow, Shirou felt, for the first time, hope rise in his chest. He took a step forward again, afraid to interrupt the pulsating light. He noticed that the whole room was humming a soft sounding melody. Kneeling down again next to Saber, he watched her. The Doctor simply stood where he was, looking fascinated at the whole scene.

They waited like this, for some time, until her breathing became stronger and evened out, and color came back to her pale face. Shirou didn't know which one of them sighed, the anticipation disappearing from both of their shoulders.

A lock of hair fell into Saber's face. Shirou reached out to gently move it aside. His hand brushed her forehead and Saber furrowed her brows.

"Wha-?" repeating the action, her brows furrowed more noticeably now. Shirou held his breath again as the Doctor swiftly went to her other side, scanning her with his Screwdriver again.

"Her vitals are stable." there was relief in his voice, also. Blinking at him, and processing the information, Shirou did the only thing thinkable to him –

"Saber…?" he cupped her cheek, caressing it with his thumb. "Saber…"

If the Doctor was wondering why Shirou called King Arthur 'Saber', he wasn't showing.

She furrowed her brow even more now, but she also leaned into his touch, as if not quite sure what to do. She wouldn't wake up like this, so he had to try another strategy. Shirou leaned down and whispered "Wake up, Artoria." before leaning in and giving her a chaste kiss.

Her body automatically responded, and when the familiar warmth left her, she leaned up, searching for it. Finding nothing, she huffed frustrated, and tried opening her eyes. Mustering up what little strength she had, she managed to open them –

— to be met with strikingly golden eyes, shimmering with unshed tears. As clouded as her mind still was, Saber still recognized those eyes. Trying to say his name, she found that it was hard to speak. Her mind in itself was very clouded and unorganized. "Sh…i…rou…" _Why are you crying?_ That's what she wanted to ask, but couldn't. _I am here_ – that, she wished to shout, - _so stop shedding your tears_.

But all she could do was watch the man she fell in love with start crying, his tears falling on her cheeks, leaving a trail behind. Frustrated with herself once again at her inability to move her body, Saber tried to lift her hand, wanting nothing more than to wipe away the tears. She lifted it barely from its resting place, but Shirou grabbed it, cradling hers with both of his to his cheek, smiling the most pure, joyous smile she'd ever seen.

"Saber… my Saber… you're finally back…"

… _Back_?

Saber blinked, trying to clear her mind. Had they not seen each other on the hill…?

 _I am missing… something important…_

She glanced to the side, finding it suddenly too hard to look Shirou straight into the face. Seeing a strange man she'd never met before, her eyes widened.

 _The hill… the hill where we said our goodbye into the sunset…_

 _My vanishing… my meeting with Bedivere…_

 _Him throwing Excalibur back into the lake_ … She turned her attention back to Shirou as realization struck her like one of Berserkers blows.

 _My death…_

Saber felt her own tears leave a wet-hot trail on her cheeks as she remembered her last talk with her oldest and last knight, and her death thereafter. She died – or at least she had been dead enough that she couldn't – _shouldn't_ – be here.

 _But I am. And Shirou is also present._

Trying to articulate her thoughts into words of comfort to her former Master, who apparently traveled back centuries to save her, she saw the strange person take a step closer, also smiling.

"…Shir…ou… how…here…? Stop… cry…ing… I… here – love… Shi-rou…"

Her words seemed to have the intended effect, because Shirou stopped crying; instead he opted to kiss her still cradled hand. Were she in a better condition, Saber was sure she would have slapped him. He murmured between his kisses "I love you… I love you so much, Saber…".

The strange person knelt down next to her, and pointed a …screwdriver? – it at least looked like one – at her. When it emitted a blue light, he looked satisfied.

"Well, welcome back to the living, I guess. I am the Doctor." he glanced over at Shirou, who was now simply holding her hand in a comforting matter. "Can we move her out of this circle to a normal room for explanations?"

"We should – it acted only as a second set so to speak – Saber, can you stand already?" he directed his gaze at her at the last part. And as much as she wished to answer him with an affirmative – she still could barely muster up enough strength to hold her hand aloft – so she shook her head, biting down her pride. Shirou muttered a "Thought so." before he swiftly hoisted her up, bridal style.

She protested with a weak "Shirou…", before leaning against his chest, blushing. The Doctor laughed at the scene, taking the lead. Taking notice of her surroundings for the first time, Saber noticed that she, indeed, was not in the forest anymore. "…where…?"

Glancing down, Shirou answered, "We're in the TARDIS – it's a time machine. I asked the Doctor for help; but don't worry, we'll explain everything soon. Doctor – " he turned his attention back to the man leading them, Saber's following, " – where are we going?"

"Back t to the console room, I want the TARDIS running a check-up on her; to see if there's something we missed."

After some running – way too long, in Saber's opinion – they arrived back in the control room. Saber looked on in wonder at the control panel in the middle, fascinated. She could feel the humming of the machine. Shirou set her down on the cushiony chair, gently petting her hair.

"I am… not… ma-de of glass… Shirou." she was watching him amusedly, taking in his features for the first time. His hair had turned white at some spots and his skin was tanner than it had been during the Grail War. Saber was about to question why he started to look uncannily like Archer, when the Doctor reemerged with a …thing.

"Doctor, what is that?" Shirou asked, perplexed.

"It's a machine that goes 'bling'" was the cheery answer. Saber tried her hardest to shoot a deadpan look at both men in the room. Mustering up her most flat voice, she turned to the stranger.

"What… are you?"

"Oh, she's good. Very, very good." The Doctor was scanning her with the machine, grinning. "I am the Doctor. Most people normally ask who I am, but you're smart – I am a Time Lord; the last one, actually." he turned to the control panel, typing in something and connecting the machine. "and this, my dear King Arthur –" she grimaced, he spread his arms out in glee, "- is the TARDIS: Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. She's my trusted companion across my adventures."

The TARDIS gave a scandalized _beep_. "Well… misadventures, alright." the Doctor scratched his cheek awkwardly. Processing the information, Saber nodded and turned her attention to Shirou. "…How did you meet?"

"…" Shirou sighed, grabbing a handful of hair. "Well, this will probably be a bit long to explain, so here's the short version: after the Grail War ended – the magic ritual I was talking about, Doctor – Tohsaka and me set out for the Clock Tower. She cleared things up, and ended staying as an apprentice. I stayed behind as her 'student', but didn't really become part of the Association. After a few odd jobs here and there, I turned into some kind of blank slate for both the Church and the Association, doing work on both sides. On my latest assignment, I met the Doctor in Cardiff, and we took care of the … living, monstrous, time-consuming … _angel_ statues; the Weeping Angels, that infested the town."

If Saber didn't know better, she would've thought that Shirou was flat-out lying to her; alas, she knew of the strangeness of the world, as she knows about a certain Flower Magus and his penchant of crazy ideas.

"After some misunderstanding…" Shirou shoot the Doctor a look, "I decided to take up his offer of traveling with him."

"I see…" her mind was processing the information, and she whispered with a faint smile, more to herself than the others, "…yes, Shirou. This truly suits you… helping as many people as possible…" after continuing louder: "I take it you took the opportunity this provided to fulfill your ideal as a hero? Certainly, I am able to see you do it, but that still does not explain…" she wanted to say ' _the situation at hand that I am alive and not yet in Avalon'_ but refrained from doing so.

She turned to the Doctor again, who marveled at her ability to completely lead the conversation even though she was still mostly unable to move her body; except for her head and vocal cords, apparently. "There ought to be some sort of set rules to follow, if I am not mistaken."

The Time Lord blinked, "Yes, yes there are. How did you know?"

Saber gave a bitter smile which, the Doctor decided, did not suit her. "Merlin always spoke of such matters, how I would be unable to change my future after I pulled the sword from the stone – " there was a short pause, " – I simply state the fact that my death was one of them, as it even was recorded down in history, I believe so."

The Doctor didn't even need to answer, as Shirou cringed – which was all the answer she apparently needed. Truly, King Arthur had a sharp mind.

"Shirou…" her attention was back on him, and she smiled that small, self-depreciating smile the Doctor had seen on the teen quite a few times in the short span that he got to know him. He watched with further amazement as she continued, "… I am truly thankful for what you have done, but I do not see how someone like myself is more important than the regular flow of time. As it is, my death should have been at that tree; you do not know how you changed the timeline by removing something that – even I – had been foretold would happen." almost like an afterthought to something of a trivial matter; like _what should we do today?_ , she added "For better or for worse, I fear."

The Doctor was throughout impressed with the woman in front of him. She had such a small sense of self – or she valued the life of other so much higher than her own – that she was practically asking to be brought back to the tree to die. It was a surprisingly sobering statement. On one hand, he was fascinated with her strength at an emotional and _human_ level, that she was so easily talking about her death – and the fact that she understood that changing the current set timeline in this case was more bad than good. On the other hand… well, she was a living being – a living, breathing, _human_ being – the fact that she saw herself so unimportant was sad. The Doctor recalled what Shirou told him about this girl-King, and he knew he had to stop her (technical) self-loathing, before the TARDIS turned into a war zone between the two _very_ apparent lovebirds.

… and he was beginning to sound like one of his former companions, he noticed.

Shirou shook his head, angry. Or maybe sad? "You deserve this second chance more than anyone else, Saber. You've done much more than these people deserved – you gave your life for theirs – so I'd like to think that my saving you was more than a bit appropriate."

She was about to retaliate, but the Doctor cut her off. "Trust me, Lady Saber –" she also winced at that. _What else should I call her? I am standing in front of_ the _King Arthur, after all_ , " – if it would've proven too big of an impact on the timeline, I would've dragged Shirou out."

He found it mildly amusing how she shoot him a sly look, as if they were competing about the matter.

" _But_ ," and this, he stressed, "it also was said in history books that nobody found the body of the King after his death. So maybe King Arthur didn't actually die…?" he left the end deliberately in a question, but didn't wait for an answer, "and also; I've traveled with historical figures before, the only important thing on such an occasion would be to bring said historical figure, let's say… maybe King Arthur? Back to the time where a historical event would fall into place. But – " here, he smiled again, " – the TARDIS is a time travelling, living spaceship. So that would be in an estimated _long_ time period from now on."

Saber's eyes widened in realization, and Shirou was grinning in elation, "So, Saber. Care to join in on the fun? As a companion, I mean. The TARDIS would love to have you and Shirou on board, I bet."

The console let out a round of affirmative 'blings' and 'Beeps'

"I…" Saber was torn between the rational thing to do (listening to her feelings) and her own duty. The Doctor noticed, because he grabbed a coat from the railing and headed for the door. He was talking again. "…then how about I give you a quick sneak peek at what's to come? Both of you? Shirou, get her; we are going out."

The magus looked skeptical. "Do you even know where we are?" he still obliged and took a hold of the now-again protesting Saber… who was definitely almost back to her full strength by now, he noticed, wincing slightly.

"No! But that's the fun with a time travelling machine; you never know where you land exactly. So –" he swung the doors open and stepped out and aside, Shirou following. "Allons-y!"

Saber and Shirou looked on in wonder at the strange place they found themselves into. Or rather, at something that could be described as a bazaar; colorful creatures were wandering around, talking to each other. There was some kind of herbs stand right next to clothing stand, all full of extravagant, strange-yet-beautiful things. If Saber wouldn't know better, she'd say it was almost like the monthly markets they had in Camelot, full of wondrous tools and trinkets from overseas (or the rare phantasmal beast). There was a commotion further away from them, as some were apparently haggling. A starfish-headed being talked excitedly to another, smaller one – probably trying to sell him the magic sword-wand thing in his hand. There was a bubbling sound next them, and Shirou and the Doctor stepped to the side, letting a fish-headed being pass.

"Hath." the Doctor clarified, "Said 'Hello.'"

After watching the Hath walk around the corner – Saber would've loved to say she wasn't really staring, but that would be a lie – she looked up at Shirou again. They made eye contact, and with a nod of her head, she gestured him to put her down. Avalon had healed her completely by now, and her pride didn't allow her any more than this. Shirou gave her a warm smile, and put her down gently, turning back to the Doctor to give her some privacy.

And while Shirou asked the Doctor about the bazaar they had stumbled upon, Saber was mulling over her possibilities. She was essentially freed from the burden of the King; or the burden of the Holy Grail War, as her contract with the world had ended. She was free to live out her life with Shirou, living the life of the girl she once was. She would be able to see all of the people dear to her – the ones she could call true friends, even if they only knew each other for naught but two weeks.

Two weeks… was this really how long the fifth War was? Was this really the amount of time it took her to fall in love with Shirou?

Two weeks compared to probably the rest of eternity (or at least the rest of their lifespan; when did she get so poetic anyways)…?

Looking back at Shirou, who was smiling at her, she found herself smiling back. With the facts deduced, it really was no decision from the beginning. "It seems that I will be taking you up on that offer, Doctor. Someone has to keep both of you from doing the impossible."

And as Shirou hugged her, and as the Doctor laughed at the scene, Saber knew that her decision had been the right one.

… now that she was face-to-face with their apparent spaceship, having turned around to hug Shirou back, there was only one other thing to be cleared. "…why is the TARDIS bigger on the inside than on the outside?"

The Doctor's laugh echoed across the alley of the Csirr'zay great bazaar, sounding delightful at the question asked.

 **End of Fate/ Who**

 **Hello, folks! This is my first Fanfic in both Doctor Who and the Fate series, which I've recently discovered (female King Arthur? GAR Archer? Take my money, Type-Moon!) …** ** _ahem_** **…**

 **I've been a long running fan of DW, having discovered it in Hungary, seen everything in the New Series' since then. But it's incredibly hard for me to write the Doctor, because I'm meshing Ten and Eleven together, so I hope I did him justice. Finding a good ground between Saber's formal-ish speech was also interesting, since I use the "shortened Forms" to my hearts extend xD Oh well, I hope this is a nice little snippet of how exactly Shirou and Artoria could meet outside of Avalon: the Doctor and his TARDIS!** _Shirou also totally bought the sword-wand_

 **I apologize for my (probable) misuse of the Nasuverse Magic, but I'm still new, and I only managed to download the VN. I know Fate/ Zero and Fate/ Prisma Illya, and the …interesting… Fate anime, but that's it. I've started UBW, but I only want to finish watching it after I finished the VN.**

 **Also, I use Artoria instead of Altria or the more common Arturia/Arthuria because…**

 **I like it more. And I keep on calling Saber Alter** ** _Altria_** **and Saber Lily** ** _Arturia_** **, to distinguish them. Saber from Prototype is** ** _Arthur_** **and the blonde haired-red streaked one from strange fake (if his identity is that of King Arthur, since I'm mainly using the wiki as a source, where his identity is unknown, but he uses Excalibur apparently…) is** ** _Artorius_** **.**

 **Five Saber's walk into an bar… like the beginning of a bad joke xD**

 **Also… who ships** ** _Lily x Alter_** **?**

 **ME!**

 **\- LunaChi out**


	2. OmakeDrabbles

Fate/ Who

After having explained what the TARDIS was to Saber, the Doctor proposed a very good-sounding idea: "Why don't we look around, if we're already here? The Csirr'zay bazaar is only held every second year. This gives you an exceptionally well chance to look into other race's habits and the likes! And to explore other cultures – and to get you some change of clothes. I doubt that that armor is very comfy."

Saber grimaced at the mention of clothing. The armor was indeed uncomfortable and it was covered with dried blood under her breastplate. Out of the corner of her eyes she could make out Shirou glancing at his own attire, which was, while not bloodied, in a very ragged state. "That would be… the most considerate turn of events, yes."

Shirou nodded in confirmation. "…But Doctor?"

"Hm? Yes?"

"We don't have any …alien money." he sighed.

"Oh, that's not a problem. This is a bazaar, they'll trade you clothing and the likes for something of equal value."

"And what would we be trading?"

At this, the Doctor blinked. He was thinking the question over. "You can 'trace' these swords, no?"

Shirou shook his head, "They'd disappear within an hour or so."

"I see." now the Doctor was stroking his chin. He – technically – would have enough things to trade, but he really didn't know where the store room was after the last cleaning. While both men were at a loss of what to do, Saber smirked. Turning around and walking away, without them noticing, she reappeared before them about ten minutes later, holding out two sticks of dried meat, eating the third.

"Huh?" blinking out of his stupor, the Doctor stared at the food in front of him, Shirou doing the same. Accepting the food with a thank you, the young magus asked, "How did you get those?"

Saber was eating her stick with all the poise and grace of a true King, leaving both men hanging onto her answer until she was finished. Motioning to Shirou to open his palm, she put something small inside.

"Coins?" the Doctor looked surprised at the five little coins in Shirou's hand.

"Yes. I traded some coins for some spice, and traded some of it for the stick." Both looked surprised at her, as she continued, "As of now, I still have two spice bottles left and those coins."

"Ah." Shirou seemed to understand what had happened far faster than the Doctor. "So you used your natural charisma skill to trade cheap?"

Saber nodded.

"What for a charisma skill?" The Doctor looked at them. They were walking out of the Alley, into the main street of the bazaar.

Shirou answered the question with a shrug. "She has a high charisma skill – something most kings must have, I guess?"

And as such, the hunt for new clothing continued.

Fate/ Who

Sitting alone in the console room, Saber sighed. The Doctor and Shirou were off somewhere doing something – probably something stupid. She sighed again, tapping her fingers against the panel.

"Those two idiots…" They'd left her behind, because this planet was strictly against females. It's not like she could've disguised herself as a man. She had been King Arthur, for the Root's sake! She was a better man than most of her men!

…and she started swearing by the Root. Wonderful; it seemed like Merlin and Shirou were a bad influence on her.

The lights blinked and there was a 'bleeping' sound.

Saber sighed again. She'd been long over the surprise that the TARDIS was sentient. The Doctor had been surprised when the console made itself noticeable; stating that she never spoke with his companions before.

And it seemed that the sentient spaceship shared something in common with the King of Knights: annoyance at the antics of the male residents of this ship.

Saber humored the ship, "It is not as if I saved them from the Amazons."

The ship hummed.

"Or the Shadow Proclamation."

The tube in the middle moved once, as if nodding.

"Or from Da Vinci, when we were in Italy." That… had been an interesting encounter, to say the least.

It gave a short series of 'bleeps' which sounded like laughing.

Saber nodded, and crossed her arms, continuing: "Truly, the Doctor would be lost without us, sometimes. For all his knowledge, going into a war camp between the Ataraxi and the Stygorax font was not his smartest idea. If it were not for us, he would still be imprisoned."

The TARDIS hummed in acknowledgement, before bleeping and blinking furiously, telling a tale of her own. Saber hummed in frustration. "I completely understand you. Obviously, if it were not for your constant help, the Doctor would be long gone, I say."

The TARDIS hummed back, blinking aggravated.

"Oh, I do not say that Shirou is better, mind you." the machine gave a confused sound, and Saber elaborated, "The first time we met, during the Fifth War, he threw himself in front of me, intercepting an attack from Berserker – Heracles – almost killing himself."

Now it was her turn to sigh in frustration. The TARDIS hummed a understanding tone, her lights flickering sympathetically. After a few minutes of silence, Saber spoke up again, smiling.

"And yet for all of their negative traits, or their stubborn nature, we cannot not love them, huh?"

There was another affirmative humming, and the female knight rose from her place.

"As such, it is within my duty to keep them from doing something stupid. Or reckless. Or both."

The blue tube moved again, nodding.

"Then tell me, good friend, where is this wardrobe the Doctor spoke of? I have a Time Lord and a Magus to save."

The door to her left opened.

Fate/ Who

Saber looked around in wonder. When she'd asked how big the ship was, she never imagined it to be – even though the Doctor told them "Endless" – almost 'endless'.

The Doctor was standing beside her and an equally awestruck Shirou.

"So, you can find yourself a room, yes? Maybe look around a bit. I have to do some… wibbly wobbly timey-wimey… stuff." He scratched the back of his neck.

"Wibbly wobbly timey-wimey stuff? Doctor, that sounds _very_ logical." Shirou looked flat at the Time Lord. He smiled at them.

"Well… If I'd said 'I have to recalibrate the Gamma-Zeta system to allow the TARDIS the freedom to use the time-essence stream without causing harm to the outermost Dimatrix security surface, which would cause the imminent destruction and rearranging of the time-space-dimensional axis on a molecular structure **inside** the TARDIS' I doubt you'd understand."

Both stared at him. The Doctor grinned, "Timey-wimey stuff it is. Well, anyway, good luck finding a room!"

And as the Time Lord left the hallway they were on, both companions still looked dazed. Composing herself, Saber took a step forward. "Shall we, Shirou?"

"Yeah." and with a nod, he took her outstretched hand, clasped his fingers around hers and smiled.

Walking around almost aimlessly in the hallways, they came upon a familiar room. "Look, Saber. The church." She nodded. The church-like room she found herself in, after she was healed by Avalon.

"I do wonder, though. Why would a space ship need a room that has the look of the inside of a catholic church?"

Shirou pondered the question. "Maybe some former companions were catholic?"

She shrugged. That was something to think about later. They had to find a room for themselves, first. Walking further inside the TARDIS, they soon found out why it was a Time Machine. They passed a Library next, which was apparently even bigger than the one Saber had in Camelot Castle, and definitely bigger than the one in the Clock Tower. They passed a room with nothing but shoes in it and a giant spiral staircase that led infinitely up and infinitely down.

After that, they passed a swimming pool with quite a few extras; there was a thermal bath next to it, a jacuzzie and a hot spring. Saber stared. "Why would he need a hot spring and a thermal bath?"

"Don't ask me; I'm not the crazy alien in a blue box."

"True."

They continued in silence, passing a beautiful garden and a room with a glowing tree in it. Some other rooms were also glanced into, but not one of them spurred their interest. After they passed the kitchen ( "Shirou, you have to definitely cook here. This kitchen poses you more utensils than the one you had, as such, you are able to make even better cuisine. Hunger is the enemy after all." ) they finally found the living quarters. Looking into the different rooms, some were already used, probably by either the Doctor or some more constant companions.

In the end, they decided on the outermost room, since it had a double bed. Shirou promised to himself that he'd never forget Saber's blushing face as she 'demanded' that they share a bed – quite a contrast to the first time, where she'd said almost exactly the same words to him (minus the embarrassed blushing, of course) in the Grail War.

He chuckled good-naturedly, and they entered the room. It had a cozy, home-y feeling to it, with a big wardrobe to the right and a dresser to the left. There was another room, which Shirou guessed was the bathroom, and a window.

"Why has it a window?" Saber didn't listen, though, as she went over to it and opened the curtain.

"This is…" she looked surprised at the scenery, which was depicting Camelot and the surrounding area. Shirou also stepped beside her, in awe at the obvious not-window.

"Telepathic looking glass. It reflects the view one is thinking about onto the 3-Dimensional glass. Time Lord technology." The Doctor was leaning against the door frame, smiling. "Do you like it?"

Both Shirou and Saber turned around, the latter choosing to answer.

"Very much, yes. But – " and here she stared at the Doctor " – why would somebody need a room full of plastic balls and rubber ducks?"

"Ball pit, Saber. It's called ball pit." Shirou interjected. She shot him a glare, but returned her attention to the Doctor, who looked surprised at her.

"Where was that room?"

"Between the Stargazing room and the one with the birdcage."

"Really? Thank you, Saber. I was missing this room!" the Doctor was elated; he practically jumped from his place, dashing through the hallway. Shirou didn't really want to know the answer, but he asked anyways, shouting: "Since when?!"

The answer came a few seconds later: "Two-hundred-and-fifty-seven years!"

 **Short Drabbles that were the original 'Draft' of this Story. The one in the Middle in particular was inspired by the short with Clara and the TARDIS. I'm really thankful to all of those who reviewed, favorited and follow this story.** **J** **The Drabbles are in no particular order, though the first one is obviously first.**

 **I had these written before the actual first chapter/ prologue, so they are actually shorth-ish. I wanted to upload these with the first chapter, too, but my Internet broke on me. This is by no means my actual writing speed – so don't expect me to dash out a chapter every day. The first one alone took me about a month to write, so don't expect wonders from me.**

 **Also – is it just me, or is it incredibly hard to write something original for the DW fandom? I mean, they got almost all of the plot-points covered in the series' which I would've liked to use. I'll have to think of something. I'm sorry for any grammatical errors, ME ISH GERMAN XD**

 **Ahem, lastly: I own neither Fate/ Stay Night nor do I own Doctor Who. I merely own the right to the plot. And now… Review Time!**

 **fanfic reader:** He could technically ask the Doctor, but the Gate of Babylon reminds him too much of its owner. Also, it's Shirou we're talking about. I doubt it'll ever cross his mind. And to your second question: he studied bounded fields (more like Rin forced him to) and basic Runes. But his usage is still limited.


	3. Italy and Our Heroes

**Sorry for the late update, but life got in the way xD Anyhow, here is the first part of the two-parter:**

There was the tell-tale sound of the TARDIS materializing as the Doctor and his two companions stepped out; dressed in brown, blue and red, respectively. The Doctor was talking excitedly about something his female companion, the legendary King of Knights – Artoria Pendragon, or rather Saber – was not too thrilled about.

"Doctor, you are very well aware of Shirou's cooking skill. I assure you that we do not have to go to a restaurant to try out this 'Pizza'. Merely buying the ingredients should work."

"No, Saber. If you already have a time-traveling space ship, of course you have to go into the land that invented pizza: Italy!"

Shirou simply sighed at the bickering pair. Taking over the kitchen was a surprisingly easy task, given that the Doctor couldn't cook very well and Shirou's skills bordered on EX-rank (or so Saber had said). The assortment of spices and other new ingredients was inviting for him to sharpen his skills even more; something Saber insisted upon. But when he'd asked what they should have for lunch and the Doctor suggested Pizza, Saber looked confused. He went into a hearty explanation about one of Italy's best dishes and by the time he finished, Saber asked her former Master if he would make some of it. Then the Doctor looked horrified, stormed out of the kitchen to the console room and coordinated the TARDIS into Italy.

Either way now it was time to end this madness. "Saber, we simply can enjoy ourselves here, without any kind of aliens, invasions and holy wars that are in truth corrupted. I'll get the ingredients for pizza on our way back."

This seemed to soothe the knight, as she huffed and turned her gaze towards the building where they 'parked' the TARDIS.

"Yes, I see. That would be most fortunate, Shirou. There is another concern however, Doctor."

"Hm?" said Time Lord stopped his little mental victory speech, "Yes?"

"Is it a smart idea to leave the TARDIS here, in another person's garden? Will it not be stolen?"

"Oh, no. No, no no! Of course not, people mostly ignore it. Now come on, let's eat!"

The mismatched group left the grounds, the Doctor ignoring the nagging feeling in his back that the TARDIS got lost once already in Italy. Walking through the districts however, Shirou noticed something.

"Uhm, Doctor?" waiting for the affirmative nod, he elaborated, "Pizza was invented around the 18th or 19th century, no? This looks to be… earlier?"

The group stilled its march. The Doctor looked guilty as Saber stared at him, her brow twitching in annoyance. He had learned the hard way that you were _not_ allowed to go between the King of Knights and her hunger. Even without the legendary blade she was a force to be reckoned with. There was another memory resurfacing – another noble had looked the same way at him in their visit in Italy, which turned out to be quite … _ashen_.

"Don't worry, Shirou, Saber. We're in Italy! It's the country of love!"

He grinned delighted at his companion's blushing expressions. Really, it was too easy teasing them, sometimes. They walked around further, noticing how everything was very quiet. Not one human soul was on the streets, even though it was broad daylight.

"Strange…" the Doctor took out his screwdriver and scanned the air. Nothing. Absolute silence. "…it's as if the whole place is asleep."

Years of battle and conflict made Shirou's and Saber's shoulders tense, and she reached automatically for her sword…

…which was not there. Saber cursed inwardly, wondering when she'd get herself a new weapon. Everything she tried out was insufficient with her fighting style and would break sooner or later. Or was simply ineffective against some of the more _curious_ beings she encountered nowadays. She was no Servant anymore, and as such had no access to Excalibur, since she'd given it back to the Lady of the Lake. While she had still mastery on Invisible Air, it needed something it could latch onto, however. And while she could call upon her armor with relative ease – it being also blessed by the Fae and able to disintegrate into pure prana by her will – the armor didn't come with a sword.

Which made it ironic in hindsight that she still wished to be called Saber. Maybe she should opt for Berserker or Assassin now.

A simple broadsword entered her vision, and she relaxed her stance for a moment, taking it. She gave a thankful smile to Shirou, which he returned, Kanshou and Bakuya already traced in his hands. He offered her to trace Caliburn, but she politely refused. The sword broke in her hands, and as such, she will not wield it again.

Changing her posture again, she saw the slightly annoyed glance from the Doctor.

"While I appreciate your reasoning, it would still be nice if you wouldn't walk around with a weapon at the slightest hint of danger."

Shirou snorted, "Says the man who went after the Weeping Angels with naught but a screwdriver."

" _Sonic_ screwdriver. It's sonic. And now come on, I'm detecting a signal to the right." the Doctor hurried into the alley, followed by Saber and lastly by Shirou. They were silent, the only sound the humming of the screwdriver, until – and they were almost at the plaza in front of them – Shirou tensed.

Both Saber and the Doctor looked at him in surprise. "There's a bounded field around here."

"Oh, you mean the magic barrier thingy?"

Shirou nodded. "I didn't notice it before, since we landed in the middle of it, but it's clearly a bounded field. If I'd have to guess, it's surrounding the whole city."

"You would be quiet right, _estranero_."

Three pairs of eyes whipped around to the man standing in the pathway. Before the Doctor could even blink, Saber's blade was held against the neck of the man, only an inch from the vulnerable flesh.

The Doctor groaned. "Not again, Saber! Let him go." long gone were the days the Doctor tried to pay some kind of constant respect to the petite woman with a proper title. He turned to the man, who was now massaging his neck, looking fascinated. "I excuse myself for my companion, good sir."

"Accepted." his eyes were twinkling with joy. Shirou looked at the man.

"Were you the one who set up the bounded field? … I'm barely sensing any mana from you, though."

Saber however was still wary. The man escaped her natural instinct. "Who are you, if I might ask? A friend or foe?"

The Doctor groaned again. "You are way too distrustful, Saber."

She easily quipped back, "And you, Doctor, are way too trusting."

The man chuckled again. Holding out his hand in a placating gesture, he addressed the group as a whole, Shirou in particular. "It seems to me that you are not from around here, young _mago_. To answer your question, I didn't set the _campo_ around _la cita_ up; I am merely someone with fleeting interests in the art."

Shirou blinked. He always found it strange that the TARDIS translated speech to them but left out words that were accented differently, or that were curses. He'd have to ask the Doctor later. Now it was the Doctor's turn to look suspicious. "How do you know that Shirou is a magus?" he scanned the man again, but the screwdriver didn't detect anything.

"He's radiating a small, noticeable amount of what you 'magi' refer to as prana, _Dottore_. Just as _signiora_ Saber is."

Saber looked equally surprised, but was silently impressed with this man's sharp mind. Something was bugging her, though. "You seem to already know our names, yet we still have to hear your own, good sir."

He laughed again. "Forgive me, _signoretta_. _Il mio nome_ e Leonardo. As you seem to be strangers to this place, let me tell you that you are in Vinci, Florence."

The Doctor looked giddy at the man, and clasped his hand in a handshake. "Brilliant! It's my pleasure to meet you, Da Vinci! I love your works! Ignore these prudish people."

Saber's eyebrow twitched. While she tolerated many of his antics, this was certainly getting too far. She cleared her throat and positioned the weapon, balancing it partially on her shoulder. Shirou also was looking wide-eyed at the man, but didn't say a thing. "As much as it is pleasurable to meet you, Mr. Leonardo, it would do you good if you were to enlighten us over the situation at hand. Something the Doctor very obviously forgot to mention."

She glared at both men in her group. Shirou gulped, nodding. "She's right. Who set up the bounded field, if not the person that is still walking around."

The legendary man of many arts shrugged. "If I'd know, _signiore_ , then I'd dispel it. I was merely coming into the city to get my requested canvas. Then I noticed you three _amici_ , and here we are now."

Saber narrowed her eyes. "You claim to be no magus, yet you speak of dispelling the bounded field."

The Doctor and Shirou watched with ashen expressions as the petite blonde was readying her weapon once again, pointing it at the Italian. Both knew of course that the man in front of them was no threat, but Saber, coming a few hundred years before him, did not. There was only one hope Shirou had in mind, and it relayed heavily on her knowledge attained by the Grail.

"Saber…"

She glanced back at Shirou.

"From the knowledge you retained from the Grail, do you remember something like 'Mona Lisa' or 'The last Supper' or 'Louvre museum of Arts'?"

And with this comment, the tension in the air was dispelled.

Saber lowered her weapon from a surprised Leonardo, looking with wide eyes at Shirou. Almost in a whisper, she asked: "You mean…?" followed by a mortified expression at Shirou's and the Doctor's nodding. Turning slowly back to the legendary artist, she bowed curtly, muttering an embarrassed apology. He was staring at her in shock and wonder.

"No, no, no need to apologize, _signoretta_. This was only a misunderstanding, after all."

Shirou was about to reply, when the density of mana in the air rapidly decreased. Even the Doctor, as un-tuned he is to magecraft, could feel it. Scanning the atmosphere with his screwdriver, he muttered something incomprehensible.

"Leonardo, I'd hate to impose upon you, but could we – _maaybe_ \- continue this talk in private?"

The man nodded. "Follow me then, _Dottore_. My house is outside of the influence of the bounded field."

0.o.0.0.o.0

They arrived a short while later at the aforementioned house – actually a rather big manor on the outskirts of Vinci. Both Saber and Shirou were looking around like little children at Christmas, taking in the sights of the constructions.

Planes, artillery, anatomical studies, drawings of humans, animals, and other beings; there was a model of a city, an improvised aqueduct system and a magic-detecting bounded field that seemed to be transportable.

There were mathematical notes lying around, almost as if they were uninteresting.

"...wow..." Shirou was impressed; he'd been in the Louvre once, with Rin in tow, but this was on a completely different level. Hurrying past the model of a Marrabecca, he came to a stop with the rest of the group.

"Excuse _il mio_ mess, _per favore_. I hadn't got time to clean my workshop."

"No, don't. It's alright." The Doctor glanced at his two companions and grinned, both grinning back. "It's a great privilege seeing your works, Leonardo."

Saber nodded. "Indeed." she was examining some of the pictures on the side, some of them still unfinished. Seeing something particularly interesting, she leaned forward. The Doctor glanced around himself. "Say, Leo? Would it be alright if we looked around a bit?"

" _Si_. Do as you wish. I will prepare some _rinfresco_."

And as the artist left, the time-travelers scattered around. "Shirou, what's the situation with the bounded field anyways?"

The teen looked up from the miniature model. "We wouldn't be able to dispatch it. Whatever made it has to show itself first."

Saber quipped in, still examining the picture, "Shirou is right. The field reminded me of some of Merlin's workings. It seems to be incredibly powerful. And subtle. Whoever did it is no amateur."

The Doctor sighed and scratched his head with the screwdriver. "Where are the easy to tell alien invasions? I'm starting to miss them. Blimey."

"Don't be like that." the Doctor could tell Shirou was smirking even with his back to him, "at least all of the monsters are from earth."

A few minutes later, da Vinci came back with the refreshments. He set the tray onto a nearby space, and walked over to Saber. She was still examining the picture, even though the rest of the group was already in the living room, waiting for the king of knights.

"Do you like the drawing, _signoretta_?"

Saber looked up at him. "Yes. It reminds me of something an old friend showed me once."

"I see."

"I do have one question though," she glanced back at the drawing, pointing to the earlier found oddity. "this... symbol; what is it?"

"..." the artist stayed silent, waiting until the Doctor and Shirou approached them, both with questioning looks on their faces.

"What's wrong, Saber?" Shirou leaned in, puzzled. She gave him a subtle glance, her main focus remaining the Italian genius. "I was merely questioning the meaning of this odd symbol. Nothing of concern."

The Doctor also leaned in, both men flanking the girl. "Hmm... you're right. I don't remember ever seeing this picture before. Leo?"

Leonardo was silent, watching them with weary eyes. "This picture is... was a prototype for my 'Last Supper', you could say." he took a deep breath. "I first envisioned it differently, _si_? But after my _committente_ said it looked bad, I changed it." he smiled worriedly. "I still keep it around. _Non lo so_ why, though."

Before any of the guests could comment on the strange behavior, da Vinci clasped his hands together. "We will dispel the _campo_ in the night, _si_? I am starting to fear for the well-being of the _cittadini_."

"Ah-yes, yes of course."

 **Review Time:**

 **Mazoku Tora'inu - Ah, I didn't know that**

 **fanfic Reader - wait and see :) at least one of the questions will be answered in the next part**

 **And I also shortened the chapters, as the first one was like the 'pilot', so it was longer than what I'm comfortable with writing, so the next part will hopefully be out faster XD**


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